1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to costume apparel, and more specifically to attachment means for costumes simulating wings or similar devices of various configurations. The present attachments essentially comprise a single shoulder strap and wrist band of elastic material, on each wing panel. The present costume wings are thus devoid of any straps or the like extending about the neck or across the chest, thereby providing a significant advance in safety and ease of donning and removal, particularly for younger persons.
2. Description of the Related Art
Humankind has been inspired by the concept of flight for thousands of years, as evidenced by ancient myths, legends, and artwork. Only relatively recently has technology advanced sufficiently to permit human flight, with the technology involving relatively high complexity and costs, as well as requiring significant training.
Nevertheless, flight remains a dream for many people, particularly younger children in their games and activities. Actual flight is of course beyond a realistic possibility in casual children""s play, but nearly all children nevertheless enjoy fantasizing or imagining flight at times in their play.
Accordingly, costume wings have been developed for use in children""s play activities, as well as for use in adult activities such as costume parties, stage plays and dances, etc. Such wings per se are well known and old in the art, and have been developed in a vast number of different configurations in order to simulate virtually every known type of flying bird and insect, as well as innumerable mythical creatures.
These various costume wing configurations are installed upon the wearer in various ways, almost always involving a series of inelastic straps, ties, or cords or the like. The object of these attachment means is nearly always to provide a very secure and positive means of securing the relatively large costume wing panels to the body of the wearer. While a series of straps or the like passing from each shoulder and around the throat or front of the neck and across the torso and around the waist generally provides the attachment security desired, they are not a desirable means of securing relatively small costume wing panels to children for casual play activity. The most important drawback to such multiple and cumbersome strap attachments, is the passage of straps or ties close to the throat or neck of the wearer. The potential hazard among small children at play, and even among adults wearing relatively large and cumbersome costumes, is apparent. Also, most children take pride in being able to accomplish various tasks on their own, without adult assistance. The various earlier developed means of securing costume wings upon the body, nearly always require the assistance of another person. This is true even for adults donning such costume wings, in many cases.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a safer and more straightforward means of securing such costume wings to the wearer, with the attachment means avoiding any potential choking hazard for the wearer and also enabling the wearer of the costume wings to don the wings himself or herself, without additional assistance. The present winged costume attachments are preferably formed of an elastic material to provide some xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d and stretch, both to enable the wearer to don and remove the wings easily, and also to avoid injury to the wearer in the event one of the wing panels becomes caught upon another object during play or other activity.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventors are aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,797 issued on Dec. 19, 1961 to Grace Schwartz, titled xe2x80x9cAccoutrement For Choreography,xe2x80x9d describes a wing costume assembly having a single wing panel extending from tip to tip and completely across the wearer""s back. Extension poles are provided to extend the span of the wings, with the poles seating in sockets secured to the wrists of the wearer. The wrist attachments are not permanently secured to the wing panel, but rather serve as seats for the extension poles which in turn insert into elongate pockets along the leading edge of each side of the wing panel, along with the arms of the wearer. The Schwartz costume also has a neck opening (column 4, line 39), through which the wearer must pass his/her head and neck to don the costume. In contrast, the wrist attachments of the present wing costume embodiments are permanently secured to the outer tip areas of the wing panels, rather than merely serving as attachment points for fittings which in turn secure to the wing panel. Also, the present wing costume has no material surrounding the neck and defining a neck opening. The sole means of securing the present panels to the body of the user, comprises a single elastic shoulder strap and a single elastic wrist strap extending from each wing panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,155 issued on Dec. 21, 1999 to Regina Silberman, titled xe2x80x9cSecurity Garment,xe2x80x9d describes an article more closely resembling a conventional poncho, than a wing costume. The front and back panels of the Silberman article extend completely across the wearer from wrist to wrist and are secured together, which does not allow them to streamline rearwardly in the breeze when running, as is desired for a set of costume wings. The Silberman garment includes a neck opening but has no wrist attachments, whereas the present wing costume has an open neck area with separate shoulder and wrist attachments.
U.S. Pat. No. D-45,010 issued on Dec. 9, 1913 to May F. Lanier, titled xe2x80x9cCeremonial Gown,xe2x80x9d illustrates a design comprising a robe or gown with a generally triangular panel extending between each sleeve and the respective side of the body of the gown. The triangular panels are apparently a permanent part of the gown; thus, no separate attachment means is apparent for the panels. No gown, robe, or other garment for covering the trunk of the body, is provided by the present winged costume attachment invention.
U.S. Pat. No. D-351,493 issued on Oct. 18, 1994 to Diane C. DeCinque, titled xe2x80x9cWinged Applique For A Shirt,xe2x80x9d illustrates a design wherein a pair of winglike panels are sewn to a conventional shirt, extending from the end of each arm and down the respective side of the shirt. The result more closely resembles the Lanier ""010 design discussed immediately above, than the present winged costume attachments invention, with its removable shoulder and wrist securing straps.
U.S. Pat. No. D-422,397 issued on Apr. 11, 2000 to Steve N. Cohen, titled xe2x80x9cPair Of Sleeves With Attached Display Flag,xe2x80x9d illustrates various embodiments of a design essentially as described by the title of the patent. The sleeves are completely independent of one another, with the only means of securing the devices to the arms of the wearer being the tubular configuration of the sleeves themselves. No means of securing a single, continuous costume wing panel across the back and arms of a person is provided by the Cohen disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. D-433,210 issued on Nov. 7, 2000 to Ian T. Allison, titled xe2x80x9cBat Costume,xe2x80x9d illustrates a design as described by the title of the patent. While a costume design is claimed, no means is apparent for securing the design to the body of a person. More specifically, no shoulder or wrist strap attachments are shown in the Allison ""210 Design Patent. Moreover, it appears that the device would have to be worn across the front of the wearer due to the thickness of the central area between the winged extensions, rather than across the back, as in the present winged costume attachments invention.
Page 188 of the Butterick clothing patterns catalog of January and February 1999 illustrates both an adult and child""s angel costume with wings extending from the shoulder areas of each costume. As only the front view is shown of each costume, the specific attachment of the wings is not clear. However, a series of straps or ties is shown extending around the waist and diagonally across the chest, with the arms remaining completely clear of the relatively rigid wings. The present winged costume attachments utilize only shoulder and wrist strap attachments for wings formed of a single ply of a lightweight, soft, and flexible fabric, unlike the relatively rigid and built up wing structures illustrated in the Butterick catalog reference.
Finally, page 18 of an undated catalog from Magic Cabin Co. illustrates front and back views of xe2x80x9cSilk Wingsxe2x80x9d being worn by two children. While the Magic Cabin wings include wrist straps, the central attachment ties are relatively complex, cumbersome, and potentially hazardous, with their wraps about the sides of the neck and diagonally across the chest and additional waist ties with their long, trailing extensions. Also, no reinforcement means is apparent in the Magic Cabin disclosure, which is essential for the relatively lightweight fabric used in the present winged costume.
In addition to the above specific patents and other disclosures, the present inventors are well aware of the use of shoulder straps for use in carrying back packs, book bags, luggage, and other relatively heavy and bulky articles on the back. However, to the best of the inventors"" knowledge, all such devices have been equipped with relatively stout, non-elastic shoulder straps. The use of elastic in the construction of a shoulder strap in a device intended for carrying relatively heavy loads, is clearly impracticable. Such back pack, luggage, etc. shoulder straps clearly teach away from the use of a stretchable elastic material, whereas a non-elastic material is not desirable in the present invention, due to the desire to retain simplicity and avoid the need for complex and awkward buckles or other devices to secure the straps. Using elastic bands for the wrist and shoulder straps of the present invention, anyone, including relatively small children, may quickly and easily don and remove a winged costume without need for assistance by others, thereby greatly increasing their independence. The elastic wrist and shoulder strap means of the present invention provides a significant advance in safety as well, as such straps will xe2x80x9cgivexe2x80x9d to allow the wearer""s arm to pull free in the event the wing is caught upon some object. A nonelastic strap cannot provide such a safety advantage.
None of the above inventions, patents, and devices, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention comprises means for temporarily and removably securing or attaching various winged costume embodiments to the upper body of a person (child or adult). The present attachment system overcomes various problems or disadvantages of attachment means for such costume devices developed in the past, by providing a single wrist strap and a single shoulder strap to each side of the single continuous wing panel which extends essentially across the arm span from hand to hand. The attachment straps of the present winged costumes are elastic, with the elastic material preferably encased in a fabric sleeve for durability and appearance. Reinforcement areas are provided for each wrist strap attachment point, with additional reinforcement provided for the shoulder strap attachment area. The generally central shoulder strap attachment area reinforcement may comprise one or more additional panels attached to that area, or may comprise additional material forming a tail or other components, attached to the central area of the wing panels. The material from which the wings are formed is preferably a lightweight natural fabric of some sort, but may comprise any natural or synthetic, woven or nonwoven sheet material as desired.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide various embodiments of winged costumes and attachments therefor, with the attachments comprising left and right shoulder and wrist bands or straps extending from the wing panels with the neck, chest, and waist areas being devoid of any attachment means.
It is another object of the invention to provide winged costumes and attachments therefor, which attachments comprise elastic straps having fabric sleeves disposed thereover.
It is a further object of the invention to provide winged costumes and attachments therefor, including reinforcement panels disposed at each strap attachment point.
Still another object of the invention is to provide winged costumes and attachments therefor, which central reinforcement panel may comprise an additional sheet of material forming an extension component (e.g., tail, etc.) for the wing panels.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.